


Wexley and Pava Are (Not) Dead

by healbells



Category: Star Wars
Genre: Multi, background finn/poe - Freeform, queerplatonic Jess/Snap/Poe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-16 21:01:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5840821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/healbells/pseuds/healbells
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Background filler and "behind-the-scenes" with Snap, Jess, and the occasional Kaydel-- a la "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead"-- since Poe and Rey and Finn can't be the only ones having all the adventures.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reconnaissance

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to Katie and Ohhi for letting me bounce my painful headcanons off of them. Love you guys!!

“It’ll be fine!” Poe assured his cabin mates over lunch. Jessika Pava and Temmin Wexley stared at him with incredulous eyes. They’ve been through hell and back together, but this is risky, even for Poe. Which is probably why the General handpicked him to do it.

“Look, Snap is heading out soon too. You’ll get some quiet time, huh Jess?” Poe teased.

“And get left all alone to worry about you both? Please.” Jessika Pava pushed her hair behind her ear, her dark brown eyes stern and unyielding. “I have enough to worry about without you two going out on your own. But,” She held up a finger before they could argue. “You two are the best in your class. Snap’s the best recon pilot in Starfighter Corps, and Poe is the best… well. The best, clearly.” She smiled. Poe gave a noncommittal shrug, but Jess could see blush creeping over his face. “I have total faith in you both. But you promise me you’ll be careful.” she ordered.

Snap rolled his eyes with a smile, but Poe nodded earnestly. “Always am.” he smiled widely.

Jess nodded firmly. “Good. Snap?”

Snap tilted his head at her, staring her down.

Jessika’s shoulders slumped and she frowned at him, pleading. “Snap!” 

The older pilot laughed. “I promise I’ll be careful.” he said finally. He paused as she softened, satisfied. “Mostly.” he added with a smile. 

Jessika reached across the table and punched him in the arm.

“It’s not funny!” she barked, Poe and Snap laughing loudly across from her. “You both could die and I might not even know! What if you’re dead for like, three days, and I think you’re coming back that whole time!?” 

Poe sobered, pushing back a smile. “It’ll be fine, Jess.” He reached over and took her hand in his, running his thumb across her knuckles. “We’ll come home safe and sound.” he promised. 

Snap bit back a comment about how kriffing domestic they were, and instead patted their hands on the table. “Captain’s honor and everything.” he added with a gentle smile.

Jess sighed. “I know. I just worry. I can’t have your guys’ back while you’re out there, and you can’t have each others’.” She pursed her lips. “I trust you guys. I know you’re tough.” she said finally. “But I can’t help but worry.”

“We know.” Snap said, squeezing their hands. “It’ll be fine.”

~

 

“Be careful out there, Poe.” Jess said. 

“Always am.” he promised. He offered the back of his hand, inviting Jess to mirror him, and the two finished off their salute by bracing their arms against each other in a crude shape of their trusted X-wings.

“Watch the base while we’re gone. You’re in charge of Blue Squadron now. Don’t let ‘em slack.” he smiled.

Jess grinned back. “Please. You’re asking me to be tough on them? I can do that in my sleep.” she rolled her eyes.

A series of affectionate beeps met her ears as Poe’s astromech droid bumped into the backs of her legs. Jess smiled and knelt next to it. “Hey, BB. Take care of Poe for me, okay? Make sure he stays out of trouble out there.” She patted its head, the little orange and white droid tilting its head forward for maximum petting efficiency. It beeped an affirmative and rolled away to position itself behind the cockpit.

“Keep ‘em in line for me, Jess.” Poe ordered over his shoulder, following BB-8 to the blue and white X-wing— not his, of course, the black and orange fighter would make his presence and thus his mission too obvious. But it was an X-wing all the same, and Poe never felt at home anywhere more than he did in the cockpit of a ship.

Jess gave a proper salute now, and Poe returned it from the cockpit of the fighter as the engines roared to life. Jess jogged off the tarmac and watched him do his final pre-flight checks, BB-8’s head popping out behind the cockpit and reminding her Poe wasn’t completely alone. She remained there until the fighter shrunk into the skyline, towards one of the most important missions of his life.

Maybe Jess would get some peace and quiet after all.

~

A private knocked on the door to the mostly-empty cabin, the sound echoing more than usual now that the rest of its inhabitants were gone.

“Captain Pava, the general wants to see you.” 

Jess sat up, at first frowning, but upon seeing the urgency in the private’s eyes felt a stone sink into her gut like a fighter with the engines cut.

“Poe.”

 

Jess pushed through the stream of orange, brown and black uniforms, making her way to the war room where the general waited. Small and gentle, but not entirely soft, General Organa reminded Jess of her mother. She was tough, she kept the Resistance running with a heart of gold and a fist of iron, and she never called individual pilots down to talk to her unless it was urgent.

The general knew that if anyone had to go after Dameron, it would have to be Pava. She hated to send her last best pilot off to save her first best pilot, but she knew Jess had ten times the drive to get him than any other soldier in the Resistance.

She immediately spoke upon seeing the young pilot. “Something’s happened to Dameron.”

Jessika’s eyes widened. “What happened? Is he okay? Does Snap know? Is— oh maker, is he dead?”

“No, no, no.” The general held her shoulders to steady her panic. “Dameron’s alive. Alive but hurting. Something’s happened to him but I don’t know what.”

Jess exhaled slowly. At least he’s alive. “Where is he?”

“I don’t know. He’s not on Jakku. I believe he’s been captured by the First Order.”

“Believe? There’s no other info in the report?” Jess’ brow furrowed.

“There is no report, Captain Pava.” The general explained. “There’s a—“ She stopped, breaking eye contact and staring into the distance.

“General? General Organa?” Jess frowned.

“He’s in pain. He’s in a lot of pain.” The general’s gentle, age-worn features twisted into a grimace, her lips flattening into a taut line. 

He was scared, terrified. He was fighting hard. He was in so much pain. She’d never seen him like this, not since he was a child, not since Shara died. There was another presence, one of dark creeping smoke in twisting coils, wrapping around Poe’s consciousness and pushing into it, like a knife twisting into a spiced wound.

The general’s lips form a single word, but no sound came out.

“Ben.”

 

“General Organa, are you okay? Who’s in pain? What’s happening?” The pilot’s voice pulled her back to the present moment. She blinked, taking in Jessika’s concerned expression, hands on her shoulders, eyes nervous and worried.

“I’m fine,” she assured her slowly. “It’s Dameron. He’s… he’s being tortured. Most likely for the location of the map to Luke. Be… Kylo Ren has him.”

Jess gave a small, quick shake of her head. “How do you know?”

“I know.” The general assured her. “Trust me.”

~

“What!?” The hologram crackled with the sudden change in volume of Snap’s voice. He sat cross legged on the wing of his fighter, on some far off planet in the Hosnian system.

“Poe’s been— I don’t know, captured, maybe he’s—“ Jess stopped and shook her head. “The general says he’s alive, but he’s hurting. I’m leaving to go find him soon.”

Snap remained silent for a moment, running his hands through his hair. “I shouldn’t have left.” he said finally. “I should be there to go get him with you.”

“No, Snap!” Jess frowned. “It was an order. We had no idea this would have happened. Besides, your mission is too important.” She shook her head, curling up and hugging her knees to her chest. “When will you be home?”

Snap inhaled deeply and sighed. “I’ll be back in a few days. I hit a couple snags during recon. This thing is…. bigger than expected. And far more advanced.” He pursed his lips. “It’ll take me a while to scout it out better. I’m just jumping from Hosnian Prime to the base, trying to keep unnoticed, gathering what information I can.”

“Hm. So you can’t come with me.” Jess said simply, trying to keep her composure, her thoughts in order. “The general says its best I go alone anyways, so we’re harder to track. If I leave tomorrow I should be back soon too, a few days at most. It’ll take me a few hours to get to Jakku, a few to find Poe, and then to come back…” she frowned. “Just… be careful, Snap. I can’t lose both of you in the span of a few days.”

“We haven’t lost him yet, Jess.” Snap reminded her gently. “He’s a fighter, and so are we. We’re not going down that easily.”

Jess nodded firmly. “Right.” she assured herself with a sigh. “I gotta get to sleep. Leaving first thing tomorrow.” she pursed her lips.

“Get some rest. Take care, Jess. Be safe.” Snap said, and the hologram flickered off, leaving her alone again.

~

Morning. The Ileenium sun is barely up, spreading dim orange light over the tarmac. Jess worked through the necessary preparations faster than she ever thought she could. Fast, but efficient. She made sure everything was done properly— she couldn’t let her eagerness to start the mission jeopardize it in the first place. Engine checks, weapon checks, shield tests, all done with a record score, had she been timed and tested. Poe would have been impressed. 

“Captain Pava!” One of the junior lieutenants sprinted across the tarmac as she was climbing into the cockpit. “Captain Pava, there’s more information on Dameron!”

Jess stopped and jumped off the top rung of the ladder, the lieutenant catching up just as her boots hit the ground.

“Dameron— he’s escaped! He’s escaped the Order but crashed on Jakku! I’m not sure where he is or if he’s hurt but he’s alive and he’s out of the First Order’s hands.” The lieutenant’s bright blue eyes were wide and excited as she rattled off her report from the general. “Organa says you can go if you want but to make sure you stay out of sight of the First Order and to keep an ear out for a distress signal. Hopefully by the time you get out there we’ll have gotten something. We’ll tell you as soon as possible if we get a reading!”

Jess grinned widely, trying to resist scooping up and hugging the small lieutenant in celebration. “Thank the maker he’s all right.” she sighed, running her hands through her hair. “Thank you Lieutenant Connix. Tell the general I’ll watch out for him and bring him home as soon as I can.” 

Connix nodded and bolted back to the base. Jess sighed, watching her go. She’s so young, she thought to herself. She should still be in school, maybe just finishing up and graduating tertiary. Then again, she added as she climbed back into the cockpit, weren’t they all? She pushed away the thoughts as she brought the engines to life, doing her final checks and taking off into the sky.

“Hang in there, Poe.” Jess murmured to the empty seat behind her as D’Qar shrunk below her, the stars extending into trails of light through the jump to lightspeed. “I’ll get you home.”

 

Flying through hyperspace alone was an odd sensation. Like being trapped in limbo, all she could do was stare into the void of the unknown and wait for her destination. No one to joke or talk or bicker with to ease the tension that came with dropping out of lightspeed. It just was.

The navigational system beeped, indicating she was arriving in the Jakku system. She sighed, glad to at least be free of the emptiness of space. As much as she loved flying, she hated being alone.

Thankfully, she wasn’t alone for long. The intercom on her fighter beeped, signaling a call from home base. She didn’t have to think twice to answer it.

“Captain Pava, Dameron’s managed to contact us from a town in Jakku.” Lieutenant Connix’s voice echoed through the headpiece. “We’re patching him in now.”

Poe’s voice sounded loud and clear over the intercom, and Jess couldn’t have been more relieved. 

“Poe Shara Dameron where the hell have you been?!” she scolded him, but more than anything she was delighted to hear her friend again, even if it was only his voice. She’d see him in person soon enough.

Back on Jakku, Poe rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and smiled. “I’m in some backwater town on Jakku— Blowback Town?” He peered at the alien scavenger who had helped him for confirmation. Naka Iit nodded, and Poe turned his attention back to Jess. “Yeah, Blowback Town. I’m sending you the coordinates now.”

Jess grinned widely as they came up on her navigational system. “Well, I’m glad you’re safe.” she said finally.

“I’m sorry for worrying you.” Poe said.

“Don’t be.” Jess smirked. “You’ll just owe me one.”

“I owe you several.” he corrected.

“I’ll hold you to that.” She smiled. “Be there in a bit. It’s good to hear your voice, Poe.”

“Good to hear yours too, Jess. Stay safe in the meantime.”

“Same to you. Pava out.”

~

“You look like you got chewed up and spit back out by a rathtar.” Jess said simply upon arrival, but opened her arms to Poe all the same. 

“Good to see you too, Jess.” Poe laughed, pulling her into a hug. He gave good hugs. Warm and comforting, and even all dusty and beaten he still reminded her of home, reminded Jess that she was still alive. She studied his face when he pulled back, noticing a fresh new scar under his eye.

“Maker, you really do look terrible though. Are you okay?” She checked him over, gently tilting his head left and right like a concerned mother. “Where’s your jacket?” she frowned, knowing that Poe would never go anywhere without it unless it was destroyed or he’d have died trying to retrieve it.

Poe looked crestfallen. “I took it off in the ship and was thrown from the crash. I couldn’t find it after it went down, it’s like the desert just swallowed it up.” he sighed heavily. Jess patted him on the shoulder.

“At least you’re safe. That’s all that matters right now.” she said. 

Poe nodded at that, giving her a lopsided grin. He turned to the scavenger that had helped him. “Thank you, Naka.” he said to the shorter alien that Jess recognized as a Blarina.

“Thank you, my mad friend.” The scavenger said, nodding solemnly. “I wish you and your companion well on your travels.” he added, noticing Jess for the first time now.

“To you as well.” Poe said sincerely, smiling. He gave a lazy salute to the run-down town as he and Jess made their way back to the fighter waiting to take them home.

“Can I fly us back?” he asked eagerly, almost childlike. “I haven’t gotten to fly in over forty-eight hours and I’m getting fidgety.” 

Jess laughed loudly, covering her face with one hand. “Sure thing, Poe.” she said with a smile. “Let’s get you home.” She patted him on the shoulder and climbed into the passenger seat, hearing Poe sigh happily on the other side.

“You know as much as I love the secret missions and excitement and stealing First Order aircraft,” Poe said as he flipped various switches and brought the craft to life. “it really is good to be back in the cockpit of a Resistance ship.”

Jess hummed contentedly, a lazy smile tugging at her lips. “Welcome home, Black Leader.”


	2. The Battle Of Takodana

“Stop right there, rebel scum!”

Snap Wexley whipped around at the stern voice calling to him. He stared down his offender from just a few feet away, matching her intense gaze with determination, eyes glinting with steely resolve. 

“The Resistance will not fall to the likes of you.” he warned. They locked eyes in a standoff.

Before he could move first, Snap found skinny arms wrapped around his large waist, the force of a full 100 pounds flying at him as fast as human legs can go knocking him back a few steps. Smiling, he righted himself and scooped up the offender into one of his infamous bear hugs.

“Okay,” Snap laughed. “Maybe the Resistance will trip a little bit.”

Kaydel Ko Connix’s grip was as firm and unrelenting as Snap’s, despite her being half his size. Her enthused grin was bright enough to rival the sun. “I’m glad you’re home safe!”

Snap grinned. “I’m glad you’re glad I’m home safe!” He held out both fists, and Kaydel reacted immediately, connecting her own and pulling them back with accompanying explosion noises. Snap tousled her neatly-braided hair, much to her dismay. She shook his hand away and peered up at him, a sparkle in her eyes.

“Get any good dirt on those First Order freaks?” she asked as they as they marched towards the heart of the base, weaving through Resistance pilots, soldiers and engineers. “Maybe a neatly-plotted map describing in detail the Starkiller’s weak points?”

Snap laughed. “I wish. But we have enough to fight back. Hopefully.” his face dropped for a moment at the dire circumstances, and upon noticing his sudden change in demeanor Kaydel reached out to pat his massive shoulder.

“We’ll do what we can.” she assured him. “We always do, and look where that’s got us.” She smiled and nodded at an approaching group of pilots, consisting of Black One, Blue Three, and Blue Four. Poe Dameron, Jessika Pava, and Ello Atsy. Poe clapped him on the back as he passed, Jess following suit by punching him in the arm and shooting a wink at Kaydel. Ello was content to give them a nod of acknowledgement, and the three pilots disappeared into the crowd, only their bright orange flight suits separating them from the browns and blacks of the other Resistance uniforms.

“We should find the General.” Kaydel said, watching them disperse.

“Right.” Snap nodded, and they too slipped into the endless stream of people flowing through the Resistance base.

~

General Organa was not hard to find. Although she was only five foot one, barely taller than Kaydel, she commanded the room as only she can. Pilots and soldiers all seemed small compared to her as she paced the room on her nonexistent stage, commanding the attention of everyone around her even though she remained silent.

“General Organa,” Snap cleared his throat. The former princess looked up from her datapad and let a small smile tug at the corner of her lips. “Welcome back, Captain Wexley. Hello, Lieutenant Connix.” she added, noting Kaydel’s presence as well. “Please tell me you have good news.” 

Snap produced the data chip containing flight and scan data from his pocket, handing it to the general. She looked it over before plugging it into the main computer, its contents popping up on the hologram instantly. The general’s reaction was less than promising.

“It’s big.” She said simply. “Bigger than the last one. Unsurprisingly.” She studied the hologram from all angles, a silent swear crossing her lips. “Wexley, tell Dameron to prepare Blue and Red Squadron for duty. You’ll have to move out first thing tomorrow if we can strategize tonight. We’ll debrief you in the morning. In the meantime—“

“General Organa!” A young private, even younger than Kaydel, bounded into the war room, waving a datacard wildly. “They found it! They found Dameron’s BB unit! It’s with Maz Katana, Han Solo found it!” they shouted, breathless with exertion. Even the war-hardened heroine couldn’t stop herself from blinking in surprise.

“Easy, young one.” She smoothed her hands along the teenager’s shoulders, steadying them. “They found BB-8? On Takodana?” she asked. The private nodded vigorously. 

The general turned to Snap. “Change of plans, captain.” she said with a small smile. “We’re going to get Dameron’s droid, and if we have his location now, the First Order is bound to be on their way to get him too.”

“Then let’s make sure that doesn’t happen.” Snap smiled.

~

“Snap!” Poe’s voice rang through the hangar as the older pilot approached him at a half jog, his optimistic poster-boy grin plastered to his face like always. “You ready to take out some troopers?” he asked with a grin. The two exchanged their familiar X-wing salute.

“You know I’ve always got your back, Poe.” Snap said, his tone light but the words heavy with sincerity. “Good to have you back among the living.”

“Good to be back, Snap.” Poe grinned, clapping him on the shoulder. 

“Come on you two, let’s go!” Jessika shouted impatiently, hanging off the side of the cockpit to her X-wing. Her hair was already tied back, ready for action. “I know it’s been about four hours since our fearless leader’s return from certain death, but we’ve got more on our plate that we gotta deal with. Let’s move!”

“Alright, you heard her, the reunion can wait.” Poe jerked his head toward their waiting X-wings with a confident smile. “Let’s show the First Order what we’ve got.” 

~

The battle itself wasn’t all that difficult— the meaning behind it far outweighed the effort necessary to put in. Poe whooped enthusiastically as he took down fighter after fighter, even managing some shots that took out the ground troopers below. It was stunning, Jess thought, how easily he banked and looped through the air as though the aircraft was an extension of himself. 

“Go straight ahead and don’t let these thugs scare you!” Poe had said. The Resistance pilots hardly needed the encouragement. Stormtroopers scattered easily, the Resistance’s numbers far greater than the First Order had planned. Watching them retreat, the pilots cheered amongst each other. 

The brief celebration of her fellow pilots faded out as Jess felt a chill run down her spine— as though heat had been removed from the area. Looking out, she saw from the corner of her eyes a ship bigger than the rest take off and shoot into hyperspace, a dark and foreboding presence she hadn’t noticed before snuffed out with it. Poe and Snap felt it too, she figured, hearing their sighs of relief.

~

Kaydel shivered as the transport landed. She knew Snap and the others weren’t far ahead— the gunfire had stopped, the tension in the air was all but gone. She sighed. Safe again, for now.

Daylight filled the transport as the doors opened, revealing the beautiful green expanse of Takodana, although at the moment it was littered with storm trooper bodies. Waiting outside were people Kaydel didn’t know— but the general did. A younger man holding a blaster, maybe a bit older than her, a giant Wookie that towered over him and a tall, older man with graying hair, hands on his hips and the kindest eyes she’d ever seen.

The general’s protocol droid pushed ahead of her to greet the older man. “Goodness!” it exclaimed. “Han Solo! It is I, C-Threepio!”

Han Solo?

Threepio turned to the general, and if it could have, Kaydel figured it would be grinning with delight. “Look who it is! Did you see—“

General Organa tilted her head, and although she couldn’t see, Kaydel knew she was smiling.

“Oh. E-excuse me Princ— General, sorry. Come along, BB-8.” The droids shuffled off, BB-8 looking back towards the transport. Kaydel smiled and waved at the little droid, who beeped cheerfully in greeting before turning back to follow Threepio.

Kaydel watched from a distance, Organa and Solo staring at each other in silence. The Wookie— that must be Chewbacca— stepped in, breaking the silence, and wrapped his big furry arms around General Organa. He grunted a few words Kaydel can barely understand, but she gathers he’s glad to see her. The general’s smile indicates that she’s glad to see him too. The Wookie shambled off, boarding the transport and flopping into an empty seat across from Kaydel. He nods at her, and Kaydel gives a little smile in return. Before she can start to ask questions she hears Han outside.

“I saw him, Leia.” he said quietly. Sadness laced his voice, weighing the words down and making her heart ache from the pain she knew he felt for this person.  
“I saw our son.”


	3. March Of The Resistance

Jess hopped out of her fighter, the sound of boots hitting the tarmac reminding her she’d arrived home. She scanned the landing area for Poe’s black X-wing, and upon spotting it started to jog towards her leader to discuss the odd sensation she felt when the First Order left. She was stopped by Snap’s arm mid-jog, a few feet from Poe’s X-wing.

“Snap,” she whined. “I gotta talk to Poe.”

“Shh, shh.” Snap hushed her immediately. “Look.”

Jessika followed his gaze, watching Poe practically sprint not towards them, but towards someone else just ahead of them—

“Finn!!” Poe practically collided with the other man, the two sharing an embrace as though they’d seen each other’s deaths. They probably thought they did, Jess realized, as Poe pulled back with a grin so bright she would have thought they’d won the war already.

Jess narrowed her eyes, trying to pick out the details from a distance. “Is that…”  
  “Poe’s jacket? Yeah. It is.” Snap smirked, watching Poe converse intently with the newcomer to the base.

“The jacket Poe has kept for his entire career with the Resistance. The one he’s literally risked his life to keep in his hands. That jacket.” Jess added for clarification.

“Yep.” Snap confirmed. That jacket.”

The recipient wasn’t bad looking, at least from what Snap could see. He was tall, with broad shoulders and good posture, and the jacket fit him well. And judging by the stars in Poe’s eyes his face wasn’t so bad either.

The new person— Finn, apparently— started to return the clothing article in question until Poe pulled it back over his shoulders, saying something with a poster-boy smile and a bit lip.

Jess and Snap immediately turned to one another, eyes wide. A smile spread across Snap’s face, while Jess simply steepled her fingers and raised them to her lips. They watched for a moment as Poe clapped Finn on the back, the two starting towards the war room and disappearing into the heart of the base.

“We should go.” Jess said finally.

“Yeah. We should.” Snap agreed.

~

 

Snap’s assumption about Finn was correct— Poe had every right to the stars in his eyes. He was kind, quieter than he’d expected, and very, very smart. His face was definitely not bad at all.

Finn rattled about the superweapon to the crowded room like a natural leader, making Snap wonder where he came from. Poe had said he rescued him from the Starkiller base, that he’d broken out of there with him and caused a huge fuss being a traitor from the Order.

Defectors from the dark side were no surprise— throughout the reigns of the Sith, the Separatists, the Galactic Empire, and now the First Order, there had always been and always will be those that betrayed their allegiance. The Resistance even had some of them on their side, Finn included. So why was his escape causing such a fuss?

Snap didn’t let it distract him as he watched Finn point out the oscillator’s weakness, fuel cells that ran deep into the center of the planet. Snap frowned. It wouldn’t be easy.

“I can disable the shields. But I have to be there, on the planet.” Finn said. He was so sure of himself— spoke and acted like he was born to command armies. 

_Where did this kid come from?_ Snap wondered.

“We disable the shields, take out the oscillator and blow up their big gun.” Poe clapped his hands together. “Let’s do this.”

And then they’re gone. Everyone scatters in different directions, and the base becomes hectic and busy again. Kaydel’s small hand rested on Snap’s shoulder for a moment, and he looks down to meet her big blue eyes. 

“Good luck out there, Snap.” she said.

“Thanks, kiddo. You too.” Snap replied and rested his hands on her shoulders. “You do your best like you always do. You’re the brightest junior controller in this room. Show them why.” He grinned widely, and her nerves eased just a little bit.

Kaydel looked up at him, lips pursed, hesitant. She turned to get to her post for a moment before turning back and pulling him into a hug so bone-crushing it could rival his own. 

“Stay safe.” she said, almost inaudible over the din of the base. Stay safe. Stay here.

Snap smiled and smoothed back her hair. “You too, Kay.” he mussed her hair one last time and turned towards the hangar, marching towards what Kaydel prayed wouldn’t be certain death.

She pulled her shoulders back, breathed in the chaotic energy of the base, and sat at her post.

~

Jess pulled a hair tie from her wrist, gathering her hair into a low ponytail at her neck. Battle preparations. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply to settle her nerves.

“I got you,” Poe’s voice offered from behind her, and a half second later she felt his hand clap her on the shoulder. Jess relaxed slightly and turned to hand him her hair tie with a smile.

“Thanks.” she sighed and turned her back to him.

“You ready for this?” Poe asked after a few seconds of brushing out her long, dark hair with his fingers. He sectioned it out and twisted them into a tight braid as they talked, the familiar pre-battle routine soothing Jessika’s nerves.

“No kriffing way.” she confirmed. “But we never are, are we?”

Poe laughed at that, trying to be lighthearted as always. But underneath it, there was a heaviness in his heart that was almost palpable in the air around him. Jess worried for him. 

“We’ll do our best. We always do, and we’ll come out of this on top, just like last time.” he said.

Jess hummed skeptically but kept her mouth shut. They both knew there was a massive amount of uncertainty in the statement, but Poe’s confidence bolstered her resolve.

He wrapped the tie around the end of the neat braid and let it fall against her back. Proud of his work, he allowed himself a satisfactory nod and a smile. Jess sighed a bit and turned to face him. She studied the older pilot’s face for a moment, taking in the fresh scar under his eye with something mixed between pain and and anger.

Pain at remembering her leader— her closest friend— had been captured and tortured. At knowing he fought so hard. At hearing him get up in the middle of the night, his breathing labored and heavy. At knowing he still suffers at the hands of the Order even though he’s home.

Anger. Anger at the First Order, at that beast named Kylo Ren. Anger at the fact that he could— and did— destroy a person so easily. That he would slaughter an entire town of civilians to make a statement, to spread fear. That someone like that was once human.

“Hey, Poe,” She finally placed both hands on his shoulders. “Thank you.”

Poe blinked, puzzled. “For what? Braiding your hair? We always do that, no need to sound so serious, Testor.”

Jess laughed. “For being the best kriffin’ squad leader I’ve ever met.”

Poe raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “Besides Wedge Antilles?” He said it with sternness, but a smile played at the corner of his lips.

Jess laughed, feeling her face turn slightly red at the mention of her idol. “Okay. Maybe the best kriffin’ squad leader I’ve ever served under.” She smiled. Poe nodded at that, seemingly satisfied with her revision.

“I should be thanking you, Jess.” he said, suddenly serious.

Jess blinked. It wasn’t unlike Poe to shower his copilots with praise and thanks, but it still came as a bit of a surprise to hear it coming out of her superior’s mouth, especially now.

“You’ve got my back! I’m nothing without my best pilots.” he said sincerely. “Speaking of—“

Snap’s heavy arms rested on the two pilots’ shoulders. “Someone mentioned the Resistance’s best pilots?” he smiled.

Poe laughed. “I was just about to hunt you down. You ready?”

“As always.” Snap nodded. “Are you?”

“Have been since I crashed on that backwater planet.” Poe smirked.

“There’s my boys.” Jess smiled, reaching over to loop one arm around Poe’s neck and the other around Snap’s. “Always ready for duty.”

Poe stared at them intently for a moment, his eyes moving from Snap to Jess in turn, softened with fondness. They’d worried about him, about each other, seen so much and fought so hard in the past few days alone. This is what this war is for, he thought. This is why we fight.

“Thank you, guys. Both of you.” he said, completely sobered.

“Woah there, don’t look so serious.” Snap tried for a smile, but he could read the gravity of the situation all too well. “We’ll make it out there, blow that thing up, and go out for drinks after.” he grinned. “Deal?”

“Deal.” Poe and Jess nodded in unison, and Snap scooped the smaller pilots up in one of his bone-crushing bear hugs.

Poe laughed, unsure if it was voluntary or that Snap had just squeezed it out of his chest. Either way, it was good to smile sincerely— it seemed like everyone was far too serious lately, even if it was for good reason.

“Lets kick its ass and bring our friends back safe and sound.” he ordered as Snap set the two of them back down.

“Yes, sir!” Snap and Jess said with a salute.


End file.
